Analysis: How the Marino Point planning refusal will have a major impact on Cork's docklands
Apartments O'callaghan For At Properties South Docks Gouldings Cork's Site Ocp
An Bord Pleanála decided this week to refuse planning to agricultural and chemical firm Goulding to develop port facilities at Marino Point in Cork Harbour, a decision that was two years overdue.
Despite being located in Cobh, the impact of this decision will be felt most harshly in the city centre, with hopes that these proposed developments at Marino Point would pave the way for the wider regeneration of Cork's docklands and the construction of hundreds of new homes.
However, ABP refusal has brought ambitious redevelopment plans to a standstill and the construction of more than 1,300 city apartments indefinitely on hold.
On Monday, planning for a new port facility on the site of the former Irish Fertiliser Industries (IFI) plant at Marino Point in Cobh was refused.
Applicants Goulding Soil Nutrition wanted to construct an agricultural fertiliser facility and develop the existing jetty at Marino Point to facilitate cargo vessels.
Currently based on Centre Park Road in the city, the company hoped that the development would allow them to relocate to Marino Point, allowing for more space on the city docklands to be used for housing.
In its decision, ABP said the R624 road in Cobh would not be sufficient to cater to any traffic-intensive use, port-related or otherwise, noting that there are no current plans to upgrade the road in the application.
"The proposed development at Marino Point provides an opportunity to make use of the rail resource at Marino Point for rail-based freight distribution of product, therefore, reducing the reliance of road-based transport in favour of more sustainable transport infrastructure," the planning board said.
Last year, developer O'Callaghan Properties (OCP) was granted planning for the largest residential development plan to date for the city at the Goulding site at Centre Park Road and Monahan Road.
The proposed development comprised 1,325 residential units and was expected to be worth around €600m.
However, Cork City Council's planning approval depended on a positive decision from ABP regarding Marino Point, which would have allowed Goulding to relocate from the city.
Now that planning has been refused, Goulding said it will continue to operate from its Centre Park Road facility as it is unable to relocate to Marino Park.
This has put OCP's plans for the ambitious 1,325 residential development on the Gouldings site on indefinite hold, creating a black hole in the heart of the docklands.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, OCP said the decision will have major negative implications for the provision of housing in Cork and for the development of Docklands.
"Its immediate impact is to prevent the development of 1,325 apartments for which O’Callaghan Properties secured planning permission in 2023. It also prevents the development of a further 500 apartments envisaged for the remaining portion of the Goulding site," OCP said.
Speaking on the R624 road to Cobh, which ABP was unsuitable to cater to an increase in traffic, OCP said: "The contention in the ABP decision that somehow rail might reduce the reliance on road transportation for the activities of Goulding is simply untenable given the logistical requirements to distribute to individual farms throughout the region.
"The issues referenced in the ABP decision must be resolved if Docklands is to be developed and its potential fully realised."
Reacting to the decision, Cork Chamber described its a "setback" to the project, with CEO, Conor Healy adding: “ABP cited the lack of progress on the R624 as a factor in its decision this week to refuse planning permission for new port facilities in Marino Point.
"Under current plans, the upgrade of the road is likely to take anywhere up to nine years; this needs to be accelerated in local and national development plans."
Cork's docklands have been earmarked for extensive redevelopment which includes the planned construction of thousands of new residential units in the city.
Current plans for the area include a projected 20,000 units in the coming years across on a variety of sites.
In April this year, works began on one of the largest apartment developments in Cork which will see more than 1,000 dockland apartments built in the city’s Marina Quarter.
Located on a 5-hectare parcel of land, the development at the former Ford Distribution site is among one of the most ambitious ever proposed so close to the city centre.
The proposal by Marina Quarter Ltd, backed by Glenveagh Properties, involves the construction of 12 apartment blocks, some up to 14 storeys in height, targeted at the build-to-rent sector.
However, given ABP's decision this week, OCP said the refusal undermines the potential of Cork Docklands to provide the quantum of housing units envisaged in the City Development Plan, with the presence of Goulding "effectively sterilising a significant portion of the available development land in the Docklands".
Hence, ABP's decision means that while the Marino Point site cannot be redeveloped, neither can Goulding's current city centre facility.
While its largest project is now on indefinite hold, OCP said the decision will not impact plans to develop commercial and residential units on Kennedy Quay.
However, with housing in short supply, ABP's decision will have a major impact on the number of homes that can be developed as part of the Docklands project.
As the Cork Chamber CEO noted: "The regeneration of the Docklands is of national strategic importance and is a vital project for Cork City and County, particularly as the population of the city region is expected to grow by 50% in the years to 2040."
In addition, other ambitious infrastructure plans for Cork, including the luas-style light rail, could also be impacted. With fewer homes in the city centre, fewer people will be able to avail of the proposed transport, which may not bode well for future cost/benefit analyses of the project.
Hence, while ABP's decision relates to development in Cobh, its impact will be felt miles beyond just Marino Point.